Friday, December 9, 2016

A Christmas Memory 2016 - Abigail and Amelia

Last Sunday the girls were over. The girls are my grand daughters Abigail and Amelia. I had recorded Santa Claus is coming to town a few weeks prior and I was saving it to watch with them. I should have know it was "ok" to watch, but to be sure I had wanted to watch for myself. I relished the show as a child and it has been many many years since I saw it, I didn't quite remember much about it except the song, and ironically, the wizard guy. I wasn't sure in my memory if that guy was a good guy or a bad guy, and just how bad could be?

Well, the girls and I watched Frosty the Snowman for the second time and I decided to take a risk and watch "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" with them. I mean I survived it, but then again, I survived hose water. (Gasp)

Oh it was a true delight. It tells the story of a baby orphaned, and he is adopted to be Chris /Kris Kringle, and later becomes Santa Claus. The story is truly wonderful and wonderfully narrated by Fred Astaire. The girls being ages 5 and almost 3 were mesmerized from very beginning.

I always wonder how much of the story they "get." Well, not with Miss Abby as she is older and she doesn't miss anything. Then I just sat and watched with them and waited for the gals comments as Chris / Kris grew up to become Santa. At first he was young and clean shaven, over time he got a red beard. It was Abby who first said, "is he Santa yet?"

I knew for sure then that she knew what was going on and had been carefully following the plot. Later the beard becomes fuller and longer and Abby gets even more excited..."is he Santa yet?" Amelia was sitting with her in the rocking chair and was following the story closely. And then there is grey hair in Chris/Santa's beard, the excitement in the room was measurable.

And then, there was the first scene were we finally get to see white hair Santa, the transformation from Chris/ Kris to Santa. The cutest thing to behold was Abby leaning forward to watch intently as Santa had arrived. What I did not expect was to see Amelia stand up in the chair and start cheering and clapping for Santa. It was the cutest thing I have ever seen.

And so far this year that is my Christmas Miracle. The simple joy of innocence and the joy of believing in Santa Claus.